Part I: Games & Gaming · Wheel Games — Roulette

American Roulette

Roulette

A roulette variant played with a wheel containing 38 numbered pockets: 1 through 36 (alternating red and black), plus a single zero (0) and a double zero (00), both colored green. The house edge on nearly all bets is 5.26%, significantly higher than European roulette’s 2.70%. The number sequence on the wheel differs entirely from the European wheel layout. American roulette is the dominant version in the United States but is generally avoided in European and Asia-Pacific markets where the single-zero game is preferred.

In practice

In Macau and most Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, American roulette is rarely offered; European (single-zero) roulette is the standard. The 5.26% house edge makes this game less favorable to players and generally more profitable for operators on a per-bet basis.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.